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Beinfest addresses backlash from trade

Beinfest addresses backlash from trade

Larry Beinfest, the Marlins' president of baseball operations, discusses the Marlins' blockbuster deal with the Blue Jays

By Joe Frisaro
/
MLB.com |

MIAMI -- Trading away popular, high-priced players has ramifications.

Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest has heard the backlash, and he is aware that the organization faces challenges to appeal to Giancarlo Stanton, potential free-agent targets and South Florida baseball fans.

As of Monday afternoon, no one in the Marlins organization had reached out to Stanton, who made it known he was not pleased by the latest blockbuster trade.

"I know these guys live together," Beinfest said. "They are under the spotlight every night. They build a different kind of bond. I'm sure this has been tough for [Stanton]."

Stanton, Miami's 23-year-old All-Star right fielder, expressed his displeasure over the trade last week to MLB.com's Peter Gammons.

"I do not like this at all," Stanton told Gammons. "This is the 'winning philosophy?' Then to say it's not about money? What is the motivation? There comes a breaking point. I know how I feel. I can't imagine how the city and the fans feel."

In time, the Marlins plan on reaching out to Stanton.

"Our feeling was to maybe let the dust settle a little bit," Beinfest said. "Maybe some of the emotion will go away. And then obviously, we can get to Giancarlo and talk about getting to Spring Training with some of his new teammates, etc. I hear it. I hear the frustration. I think it's not unexpected. This is an emotional time for everybody."

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com also reported that Reyes and Buehrle are upset as well. While the Marlins don't have no-trade clauses, Rosenthal reports that both players were given verbal assurances before signing with Miami that they wouldn't be traded.

"Speaking for myself, I'm not aware of any assurances," Beinfest said. "I will tell you, if they came from me, they'd be in writing in a no-trade clause. I don't know. I'm not aware of it.

"Generally, with these types of deals, when you're talking about money and with sophistication of agents now today, most everything that is pertinent is in writing."

Reyes signed for six years, and Buehrle for four. Both were moved after one. Beinfest acknowledged the trade might affect the perception of the club by free agents.

"I think it will be a factor," Beinfest said of future signings. "I don't think that we're happy about this, at all. I understand that there may be some disdain in the marketplace. It's not going to be my recommendation that we change our view of no-trade clauses.

"It is what it is. We will deal with it. I think it will be a factor. We won't know until we get into those negotiations with free agents, or we show over a sustained period of time that we operate in a certain manner. It's definitely not great for the club, and we're going to have to deal with it."

Along with players, the Marlins are also dealing with backlash from fans, who were expecting to see Buehrle and Reyes as building blocks for '13 and beyond.

"I think we can only speak to our actions now," Beinfest said. "I understand the pause that our fans have with the instability in our roster, and the instability in our manager, and general instability within a time that we were hoping to be very stable here in a new building."

But the bottom line was the Marlins, even with a $101 million payroll, finished 69-93.

"It did a 180 on us, and it just isn't a lot of fun," Beinfest said. "I'm not real big on asking for patience. This is the Major Leagues. This is a Major League ballpark, and people expect Major League entertainment for their dollar.

"I'm not going to say, 'Hey, be patient with us, and let's wait for this guy and this guy to get ready.' Our expectation is we're going to provide Major League entertainment right off the bat. Hopefully, we're going to win a bunch of games. Hopefully, our young players will grow up quickly into the types of players that we're hoping they will be."

Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. He writes a blog, called The Fish Pond. Follow him on Twitter @JoeFrisaro. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.